Millionaire Rancher Is Sentenced

June 12, 1986|By Deborah Petit, Staff Writer

Millionaire Indiantown rancher Frank J. Brady, who headed a marijuana smuggling group law enforcement agents dubbed the ``Brady Bunch,`` was given a 10-year prison sentence in U.S. District Court in Miami on Wednesday.

For seven years, Brady dodged various efforts to prosecute him, even spending some time as a fugitive.

Then in March, the man who built from scratch an agricultural empire in western Palm Beach and Martin counties pleaded guilty to smuggling and tax evasion charges.

U.S. District Judge Alcee Hastings ordered Brady to pay a $100,000 fine and spend five years on probation following his 10-year prison sentence.

Hastings complimented Brady, born into a migrant Pahokee family, for the ``extraordinary rise`` he made through his legitimate farming concerns before becoming involved in the illegal smuggling venture.

Brady, 52 years old when he was indicted in December 1983, headed what investigators called a large-scale marijuana importation operation that flew planeloads worth millions in from the Bahamas. Brady owned a marina and resort on Cat Island that the group used as a storage and loading area, according to the indictment.

Brady`s wife, Paula, 49, also was indicted and pleaded guilty to similar charges earlier this year. She was given a three-year suspended prison sentence, five years probation and fined $5,000.